


Your name

by ladylana



Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Cora is worried about Scott, Established Relationship, Keema is trolling Scott, M/M, Post Meridian, Reyes is his usual self, Scott is worried about people getting serious about him
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-10
Updated: 2018-05-10
Packaged: 2019-05-04 22:26:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,967
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14603022
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladylana/pseuds/ladylana
Summary: Scott Ryder is gaining both popularity and respect of people all around, there is no question about that. But, while his image grows larger, even the closest of his friends seem to forget that there's more to him than being a "Pathfinder".





	Your name

Cora was the first person who realised that something was amiss. Well, she was Ryder's second in command, so it was somewhat her duty to keep an eye on the Pathfinder - not only one of the four most important personas in this cluster, an icon and a symbol of hope for the better future, but also captain of Tempest and their fearless leader. He wasn't the most experienced one, but at least he was the bravest of them all, taking all tasks without blinking an eye and facing every danger like it was usual Tuesday, and damn the consequences. He was ready, and surprisingly, he – even without training – came into the picture like the best possible choice for Alec's replacement (as grim as it sounded, it was the truth). Cora preferred to be true to herself about that. 

But she was getting off-track with her thoughts. Actually, Cora started to think about Ryder - and not about her rose garden and asari's guidebooks, that was new - when she caught him staring blankly at the wall in the kitchen. Sitting with his already cold, dark as black hole coffee and not entirely eaten portion of cereals, he looked so... weird. She was so taken aback, that for a few moments she remained speechless, before calling out to him. 

“Ryder?” she asked, wondering where his usual chirpy attitude went. Or worse, what had happened to make him like that? 

To her surprise, Scott brought out a small notebook, wrote something very quickly, and then hid it in his trousers pocket. For a moment, old Scott returned, and Cora sighed out of relief. 

“Hi, Cora. How's your garden? Growing well?” 

They engaged in a pretty casual conversation, and then Cora returned to her duty. But, after that, she witnessed Scott doing the same thing over and over, when somebody approached him. He whipped out that little notebook and noted something very quickly. Her curiosity was piqued, to say the least. Soon, she started following him, just to see if she can guess what their mighty leader was doing. Of course, she could try to ask SAM - he was connected with Scott on a level that allowed him to observe and know everything - but that would be cheating. And an awful intrusion to his privacy, so she persevered alone. 

At the end of the day, she could only say that Scott was taking some small notes. But she was never close enough to see the text, and she didn't feel like asking. Maybe because he looked so... focused and mature, that it was just strange to see him like that. Cora was even considering alerting Lexi about Pathfinder's condition, but that would be telling, right? And Scott knew better than anyone to take care of himself. 

After stalking him for another day, she drew some conclusions about how the absence of one particular shady persona was influencing Ryder, and how Scott's weirdness grew in response to increased distance between Kadara and the Tempest. 

She thought that there could be only one possible explanation and that the matter didn't need to be inquired further. 

But actually, she was wrong. Scott was writing something, and it wasn't related to the mentioned shady bastard - well, at least it hasn't started with him. It all started on a Nexus, when Ryder was making some reports, took care of restocking and visited some people who gave him directions and asked for some favours. Scott liked to help people, even though all those missions took away time that he would spend with Reyes, but he was Pathfinder first, so “Scott” had to wait until he took care of other people's problems – he felt a certain level of responsibility for them all, and because he was sure that his dad would have wanted this. So, in the end, he was doing most of it in honour of his dad. But, at least, it was easier now, with Sara helping him finding and activating another Remnants' sites, some full of useful data, some with advanced atmosphere repairing functions. And then there were people waking up from cryo, and everyone wanted to meet him. Not everyone was nice though, but he expected that. There was some shit going on before, after Nexus hit the Scourge. He was okay with some backlash. Not that it was nice, but he was a big guy now, while other leaders on the Nexus would have swept their affairs under the carpet given the chance. 

So, Scott had decided to take on the role of a mediator for them. But then, the idea hit him, when he was casually talking with another person. He has lost count on how many times he was listening to people call him “Pathfinder” or simply “Ryder” - actually, there were less brave souls who called him by his family name, and he was beginning to understand why - and that he didn't hear anyone call him by his first name for some time. 

Actually, it hit him hard. So hard, that he had to sit down and think about it. And then, he asked SAM, his most trusted source of information on every matter possible in the known universe. And while he was at it, he bought a small notebook for research purposes. 

At the end of the day, he came out with some very disappointing results. 

**Drack: kid  
** Cora: Ryder  
Gil: captain/Pathfinder  
Vetra: Ryder  
Lexi: Don't interrupt me, Ryder, unless you need an injection - _do you need it?_  
Jaal: Ryder – after my sister started to flirt with him... maybe it was out of respect? Have to ask (maybe)  
Liam: Pathfinder  
Kallo: Ryder  
Suvi: Ryder/Pathfinder  
Peebee: Ryder  
SAM: he's in my head, so that's not valid  
Sara: Little brother/should I call you Pathfinder now, Scotty? (close!)  


And then, he stopped, trying to write another name on the list. Of course, everyone on the Nexus addressed him by his family name, and that was just a standard behaviour that he was expecting. But, after, a while, he wrote it. 

**Reyes**

Okay, that right there was hard. And really embarrassing to remember. And because of that, Scott decided to write an e-mail to him. He decided to face the problem head-on. 

_From: Pathfinder  
To: Reyes_

_I'm just thinking... what are you calling me, when somebody asks? Or when you are talking about me to somebody?_

_Very intrigued Pathfinder Ryder_

It took Reyes almost two hours to write back. Two absolutely terrifyingly long hours, when Scott counted every passing second. He was curious. Seriously. 

_From: ///sender blocked///  
To: Intrigued Pathfinder Ryder_

_Maybe I'm just calling you that, my lovely Pathfinder.  
Should I join you in being intrigued? _

_Your beloved Charlatan, if we're using titles now.  
I even blocked myself, if we're getting official._

Scott sighed. He should have known that it would come to this. At least it was better than getting a dirty e-mail in response (what actually happened from time to time, Reyes loved to steer their conversations in that direction, he needed only a word). 

In the end, Scott let SAM take care of noting down all the requests from people, then packed his things, collected his crew and tapped Kadara's coordinates into his ship's nav system. And because he had few hours until landing, he once more attempted to test his crew. Of course, he could simply ask them why they weren't using his name properly, but he thought that it would be strange. Whatever reasons they had, they had to be either very simple, or personal. It would be somewhat rude to ask, right? 

In the end, nobody said his name, and only Drack dragged him to the kitchen with his loud but very standard “kid!” shout. Like he did to everyone else. Normality at his best, Scott would say. 

_From: Pathfinder Ryder  
To: My beloved Charlatan_

_I'll be in Kadara in about five hours. Do you want to meet?_

Answer came in less than five minutes this time. 

_From: Just your humble servant  
To: Mighty Pathfinder _

_We definitely should meet. I'll be in my apartment. Going there now.  
Don't be a stranger, Pathfinder, I'll leave the door open._

Scott smiled. Reyes knew, right? After that first message, he picked it up immediately. But still, he was so coy about not saying it. His name, that is. Actually, Scott should be totally expecting it, because that was in Reyes' nature. 

Meeting Reyes face to face was his last resort, even though he could pretty much predict how that would end. With them, being practically glued to each other, in a moment when their eyes meet. In the end, it was inevitable. Scott was a weak, weak man when it came to Reyes. And because of that, he was so forgiving and trusting, even though pretty much everyone around him warned him about getting involved with the infamous Charlatan. 

For the most part, Scott was just being stubborn. And independent. And totally in love. 

He really tried not to rush his steps. It felt like a torture. But he managed to visit some shops, talk to few people and visit Keema, because she was officially in control of Kadara's city, so it would be strange for Scott to ignore her. 

Unfortunately, she was smug as always, and made fun of Scott the moment he stepped in her fancy office that she inherited after Sloane's death. 

”Meeting someone important, Pathfinder?” she asked, looking at him with a glow in her eyes. “Kadara's a great place for meeting all the important people. Just look at us both.”

“So, I assume everything is going well between your people and the Initiative's outpost?” Scott really tried to ignore all the implications. He was all business. At least he tried to be. 

“I've heard some rumors that our mutual friend is managing that well enough. He has some shady name, which I can't really remember now.” 

“Right, sure. Has he returned to the port already?” 

“About an hour ago. I think he had enough time to redecorate his room three or four times.” 

“What? Redecorate? Why?” Scott grew suspicious. But he should have known that Keema was still playing with him. 

“Oh, I've heard about it. From the neighbors actually, so you might want to check if windows are properly closed next time. You two moved the furniture all around the apartment last time and you seemed to be especially enthusiastic about it. I guess our friend would want to keep you happy and give you an opportunity to move it again. To your liking.”

Scott was absolutely sure that it was the first time in his life when he was actually bright red. Literally. He burned like fire. 

He left as quickly as he could, feeling really awkward this time when people looked at him. But Keema was joking, right? It didn't actually happen, right? Nobody knew... right? 

Right. He assured himself that it was all a lie. It had to be. 

He had no problem coming into Reyes' apartment. And, when he came inside, he was greeted by a wonderful sight of his lover putting up a table for them both, with alcohol and snacks. So, in a way, he was decorating. He even had a bouquet of flowers, blue and orange mix in the middle of a table. 

But, Reyes himself was more romantic sight than anything in the room, including all wine and rose petals in the world. Or galaxies for that matter. They didn't have that – yet – but Scott was absolutely sure that his beloved shady bastard, the King of Kadara, would win at being the most romantic element of any dates. 

For a few seconds, Ryder allowed himself to just look at the beautiful man, from the black strands of his hair to his body covered in his usual clothes. It was a sight to behold, even though Reyes could easily fit in the “just your average guy” department. But that small body contained an unmatchable intelligence, confidence, observation skills and sass so strong that could bring all residents on the Nexus on their knees. Scott strongly believed in that. 

“I knew I liked coming back here for a reason” Scott smiled like an idiot, but he just couldn't help it. “You certainly know how to woo a man, Reyes. Flowers? Alcohol? Can anything be more romantic than that?”

Reyes chuckled. In a second, they were glued to each other, just like Scott had predicted. 

“I missed you so much, Scott, my sweet darling.” 

“Hey, that's not fair!”

“What? You did just call me a romantic man. I'm living up to the reputation.” 

“And you-- you called me by my name. You knew, right? What I was on about when I e-mailed you.”

“You called me by name too, what's so strange about it now? Actually, if I remember correctly, last time we met you used my name like a hundred times, in many situations. Why can't I?” 

“That's not--” 

“Wait. If you don't remember, that's bad for your health. We should fix it as quickly as possible.”

And this time, he wasn't joking. He pretty much dragged Scott – without much resistance from his side – to bed and they both refused to leave it until evening. Reyes even threw away his omni-tool, which tended to beep annoyingly even in his free time, giving truth to the saying “no rest for the wicked”. Scott reluctantly did the same for a short time, so he could hear Reyes' voice mumble sweet words to his ear, not entirely understanding the meaning, but his name, repeated almost endlessly, with that wonderful, low tone of Vidal's voice, made him soft like a melted butter. 

He actually thought that it was okay for everyone else to call him only by his family name, not his given name, or to use his title. Because then his name could sound so wonderful on his lover's lips, like only he had the right to use it. But it was the same thing for Reyes, right? He had so many layers of identity, wore so many names just to fool everybody that came into contact with him, that being just “Reyes” must have been a rare experience for him. 

Scott was happy that he could be that person whom Reyes trusted enough to bare himself like that. 

Ryder wrapped himself around his lover's body the best he could. It was never enough, but he tried nonetheless. In the meantime, he snapped the bracelet for the omni-tool on his wrist. 

Reyes flashed out a smug smile.

“Well, was it enough?” he asked, caressing Scott's hair. “Do you remember now?” 

“Me and all your neighbors I'm afraid.”

“Hm. Remind me to collect the fee for that. And for any possible recordings.” 

“Wait, you're not denying the fact that they could have overheard us?” Keema's words flashed bright red in his mind. Scott shrugged at the sheer thought.

Reyes chuckled. 

“I'm a simple man with simple needs, and if I ever wanted to have some privacy with you, I'd probably just take you into same dark cave. Plenty of those here, so some day I just might. In the meantime, we must use this not so soundproof prefabricated box people like to call house.”

Scott hit him with a pillow. His lover's humour was sometimes unbearable. And he was getting serious! All for nothing. 

“Be serious with me, Reyes. How many people know? About us?” 

“Well, it all depends on how good their hearing is. And I'm working very hard to make everyone know that you belong to me.” 

Scott gave up and hit him with a pillow again, but somewhat harder this time. 

“Ass.” 

“Me? Never. I'm nothing compared to your precious butt, Scott.”

“This is just!-- Reyes, be serious with me. For once, okay?”

“How could I when we are talking about asses?”

“Fine, don't tell me if you don't want to.” 

Reyes smiled and kissed him. It was very gentle, loving kiss on Scott's parched lips. 

“Scott, you are mine alone. And I would never allow anyone to know about this side of you. You are safe here, with me, in this little space that we share. You are just Scott here, and I'm just Reyes. No one else can share it. So, to answer you question: everyone are aware of our relationship, but they don't know shit.”

“–But Keema knows.”

“That damned woman tends to stick her nose where it doesn't belong. She always asks the most annoying questions and doesn't take 'no' for an answer. And If I don't tell her something even remotely close to the truth, she comes up with something ridiculous. It's safer to let her know, believe me, but our secrets are safe with her. In a way.”

Scott remembered how she made fun of him. Well, it's true that she only suggested they had some wild sex, on every surface possible, moving furniture right and left, but she didn't say anything that would give away what she was really talking about. Damn woman. 

Nevertheless, Scott sighed with relief. He was really uncomfortable with the picture of people knowing about his love affair with the Charlatan. 

He snuggled closer to Reyes. 

“So, can you call me by my name again? I love hearing it from your lips.” 

Reyes smiled. 

“That exclusive service will cost you ten more kisses I'm afraid, my dear Pathfinder.”

Scott was more than eager to do that and even more.

“Oh, I'm so loaded in that department, Reyes. You can count on me.”

And so, he has paid the price, and then those lips, which he has been kissing so passionately, mumbled his name, and Scott felt that it was the only way that it should be said. His everything belonged to that man, including his name.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sad, guys. There's so little content about Reyes/Scott lately >: I myself want to write so much about those two precious characters, but damn, writing is hard and I'm actually amazed I've finished this piece. And while I have some ideas for other fics, I just -- please take them from me I'm too bad at this shit :D I hope you enjoy this one even a little >.< *trembling*
> 
> I really, really like to thank everyone who has left kudos lately and commented - it's such a joy to see others enjoying my stories and I'm thankful beyond words for those little gifts :)


End file.
